There Sphinx Head of Dead (Akeronthia Atropos) is a butterfly, or rather one mothalways characterized by a bad fame for its rather bleak and sinister appearance, because of the skull Designed on his head, a classic example of Pareidolia. Persecuted for centuries such as misfortune beareris actually an insect absolutely harmlessnow rather rare and also of a certain scientific interest. Only the bees should fear its presence, given that the adult stage has the habit of predict honey from the hive. Tireless migratory, he lives in Africa, but moves to Europe, where he is disappearing due to light pollution. Who saw the film colossal The silence of the innocents Certainly he will remember the poster of the film with the image of a girl who has a mouth covered by the sphinx head of the dead.
Because it’s called Sphinx Head of Dead: the appearance and the cry
This carna (i.e. a nocturnal lepidoptera) belonging to the Sfingid family, owes its appellation to the rather disturbing appearance of the adult stadium which, observed from above and with when it has semi -open wings, presents a dorsal drawing reminiscent of a skull and a skeleton. Even observing the upside -down insect, an impressive design always appears similar to a rat head.
It is a typical example of Pareidolia and, most likely, the dorsal design and the combination of colors simply have a deterrent effect against predators. Not only the appearance, but also the dimensions of the moth that also reaches 5 cm in length, as well as the sound it is able to issue, similar to a left creation Or a squeak, they are certainly the reason for many superstitions. In fact it is a rather powerful sound (until Over 60 kHz) Considering that it is emitted by a lepidoptera.
This insect has always attracted attention and is the protagonist of legends and tales of horror: it is also mentioned in the book of Dracula. In the past it was considered a messenger of epidemics and pestilences. Moreover, even the scientific name Akeronthia Atropos It does not promise well: the genus Acheronchia refers to the archeronte, the river of the underworld and the term atropos derives from athropic that in Greek mythology cut the thread of life and brought men to death. In reality, this moth is absolutely harmless And in Europe it has become very rare, under the effect of insecticides and light pollution, which disturbs their reproduction and interferes with orientation.
A honey thief moth
The adult carriages of Acheronia have a very particular food behavior: steal honey from the favi, deceiving the bees. For this reason their presence is very feared by beekeepers from the whole Mediterranean. Adults have nocturnal habits and already at sunset they begin to fly in search of the hive. These moths, harmless to the human being, present a series of morphological and behavioral adaptations, which allow them to Enter the colonies of bees Without suffering consequences. The body is rather harsh (scleroticized) and covered by scales able to protect them from the stings of the workers. They have a certain resistance to poison, they emit chemicals and above all a very peculiar sound produced by the pharynx that it is able to deceive and block the bee reaction. The spirotromba (so their mug apparatus is called), it is not long and thin as in the butterflies, but short, robust and pointed so that you can Pain the cells containing honey.
An unmanciable migratory
The species lives all of Africa with the exception of desert areas, most of the Near East and the Arabic Peninsula, and all the hottest regions in the Mediterranean, but many individuals perform very long migrations. The sphinx head of dead is in fact also an tieable night migratoryable to move thousands of kilometers between northern Africa and the Alps during spring and autumn. It seems to be able to orient themselves by exploiting a sort of internal compass. The moths not only fly following a straight path, but they manage to maintain the right route even when the winds vary.
